***For Immediate Release***
August 28, 2025
Contact: Sierra Salgado Pirigyi
Communications Director, Nebraska Appleseed
Office: (402) 438-8853 ext 116
sierrasp@upgrade.neappleseed.org
RELEASE: Over 18,300 Nebraskans call on Governor Pillen to stop large-scale federal detainment camp
LINCOLN, NE – In less than a week, over 18,300 Nebraskans from 386 Nebraska communities signed a petition urging Governor Pillen to oppose opening a large-scale federal detainment camp in Nebraska. Today, Nebraska Appleseed delivered the petition with voices from across the state to Governor Pillen.
Last week, Governor Jim Pillen announced that ICE has plans to repurpose a facility in McCook, Nebraska as a large-scale federal detainment camp as part of a harmful, dangerous and rapid national expansion of ICE enforcement capacity that will have damaging effects on local communities.
On August 21, Nebraska Appleseed launched a petition for community members to communicate to Governor Pillen that Nebraskans do not want an ICE facility in our state. Together with the signatures were thousands of comments for the Governor. A selection of quotes from communities across Nebraska can be found here, including numerous comments from McCook residents, such as:
“As a resident and someone who grew up in McCook, we do not want this in our town or our state.”
“This absolutely goes against what Nebraska and the rest of the United States stands for.”
“It has become a universal opinion of our city, regardless of party or school of thought, that transforming the Work Ethic Camp into a detention center is not only short-sighted but cruel and amoral, and is in direct contrast to the wants of the Nebraska people.”
“Our prison systems, school systems, and housing shortages need to be addressed way more than this ‘issue’.’ If you actually knew our community, you would know how terrible of an idea this is!”
“As someone who grew up in McCook, Nebraska, I think this is an absolute tragedy to that community.”
“In good consciousness, I cannot support this.”
“As a McCook resident, I do not like seeing where Nebraska is headed with the new addition to WEC. This is not McCook. This is not Nebraska.”
Nebraska Appleseed’s Immigrants & Communities Program Director, Darcy Tromanhauser, issued the following statement in response:
“Nebraska is a state that welcomes our neighbors and values the contributions of local moms, dads, coworkers, neighbors, and friends.
The country’s immigration laws have not been meaningfully updated in nearly 40 years. This leaves friends, families, and neighbors vulnerable to immigration enforcement who have been unable to access stable immigration status despite their best efforts to navigate the nation’s outdated immigration laws.
In less than a week, more than 18,300 Nebraskans spoke with one voice to say this is not who we are. We are not a state that separates families and locks up and detains members of our communities based on long-outdated laws. We hope these many thousands of voices from Nebraskans throughout the state will encourage Governor Pillen to represent Nebraska values and oppose opening a cruel and harmful ICE detainment camp in our state.
Nebraskans want positive and updated immigration laws that support strong Nebraska communities, families, workforce needs, and our future – not punishment and military deployments.”
Map of petition signers:
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